


Alaska + 7

by TakaSeokk



Series: Original Work [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Breaking the Fourth Wall, Fairy Tale Retellings, Future, Gangs, Gangsters, Gen, M/M, Mild Language, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-07-29 09:17:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7678855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakaSeokk/pseuds/TakaSeokk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A futuristic spin on the story on Snow White and the 7 dwarves, where Snow White is portrayed through the character of Alaska Winters, a ruthless gangster who winds up in the company of 7 college students after an assassin decides to spare her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Never Trust an Assassin to Do a Woman's Work

This story, well it’s not about me, although I do make an appearance later on. Despite my, admittedly, non-protagonist role, I do like to think that I played as an important character in this interesting series of events that I’m about to tell you about. Even though I wasn’t even all that involved in the story, I’m still taking it upon myself to be the one that regales it, especially since the main protagonist of the story is…well I’m not really sure where she is. Don’t ask yourself how I happen to know all the little details of what happened, just know that they’re all 100% true.

The protagonist, and the namesake, of my story is Alaska Winters. Now, allow me to give you some background on this truly _intriguing_ woman, as well as our setting. First off, the year is 2120-something and in a bustling downtown city. Now, the thing about this city, is that there happens to be a problem with gangs. If you’re smart enough—and lucky enough—you can get through your whole life in the city and never once have a run-in with one of the more problematic ones. By “problematic” I of course mean the two main rival gangs: the Huntsmen and the City Queens. Neither of these gangs is necessarily “better” or “less evil” than the other—both have committed countless crimes and killed hundreds (including their own members, such as in this case)—but in this story, our protagonist belongs to the Huntsmen.

Now, Alaska happens to be one of the more “higher-ranked” members of the Huntsmen, especially since the leader just so happens to favor her. The fact that Alaska was favored by the leader made another member, by the name of Reina Wyatt, very jealous and her hatred for the “perfect woman” buried itself deep within Reina’s heart and slowly began to fester and rot.

When Reina wasn’t out doing some sort of…I don’t know, _gang stuff_ for her boss, she would pace inside her room and plan out a way to rid herself of the _adored Alaska Winters_ and once again assume her place as the right hand position of the Huntsmen. Apparently, the two of them had once been very close and had shared almost all duties with one another, and were even considered the most-feared force within the ranks of the Huntsmen. It was because of their bond that their gang had become the powerful organization that it was, but it was also that very bond that became the Huntsmen’s final downfall.

Well, one stormy night in an empty lot behind an abandoned warehouse, Reina Wyatt had a revelation on how to complete her goal. Since she didn’t directly want Alaska’s blood on her hands, Reina contacted one of her associates from an assassin’s guild and requested that he meet her at the locale of her choosing—yes, assassin guilds are still a thing in the twenty-second century, don’t look so perplexed. So in the pale light of nearby floodlights and pounded by the humid wind and rain, Reina’s tainted heart started something that could never be undone…

 “So do we have a deal?” Reina smirked and crossed her arms as she leaned back against the outer warehouse wall. She was a well-put-together woman in her late twenties, with short, blonde hair and a cold personality. Her taste in sensible yet fashionable clothing was probably just about the only good thing about her, so it was no wonder that her boss didn’t favor her anymore.

Reina was certain that within the darkness of the assassin’s deep hood, a wicked smile was spreading across his face and he reached out a glove-covered hand and ran a finger along her jaw. “I will make all sorts of deals,” his silky voice drifted from the depths of the hood and twisted through the channels of her inner ear. His fingers then slid away from her jaw and flitted along the sides of her windpipe. “As long as the pay is…” he squeezed slightly, “adequate…”

Reina lazily pushed the assassin’s hand away and straightened her clothes. To think that he had the audacity to touch her like that when she was offering him a job was despicable, but it was a side effect of this kind of work. “Do you doubt my capabilities of compensation?”

“Of course not,” the assassin elegantly placed his hands into his pockets and his head tilted like a crow, “it was not my intent to offend you.”

“I certainly hope so.” Reina sighed and looked off towards the skyline of the city. Somewhere within the labyrinth of skyscrapers and neon lights, Alaska Winters was weaseling her way deeper into the heart and soul of the Huntsmen. It made Reina sick to think that she had once considered that…that _siren_ a friend. “I’m going to need proof of her demise,” she said, turning back to the assassin. “I’ll even pay extra. _And_ in advance.”

“Really now?” the assassin chuckled. “This truly is the golden deal, isn’t it? Just who _is_ this Alaska Winters to you?”

“I thought your kind didn’t ask questions. Can you do it?”

He shrugged, a fluid gesture, and held out his hand. “Of course I can. My apologies, miss.”

Reina reached in her pocket and placed an electronic pay card—as well as the fate of her beloved Huntsmen—into the palm of an assassin’s hand.

Let me give you a little bit of advice: never trust an assassin. Those sneaky-sneaks are nothing but selfish people that want nothing short of the highest gain they can possibly achieve. They have no qualms of turning their back and abandoning you, never to find the traitor again. I suppose the only plus side to the assassins is their unshakable loyalty to one another and their guild. Also, the pay’s good and they always have the coolest clothes and weaponry and skills…no! No, the assassins are…they’re bad people, regardless of what their wallets say! They kill and are traitorous and sneaky and…and…and yeah maybe I’m a little jealous, but that’s beside the point! (Although I’m certain that there are some okay-ish assassins out there) The point is that Reina was a fool for trusting an assassin to get involved in a gangster’s personal affairs.

Well, when the assassin got back to his little lair—actually it’s a pretty big lair and it’s very nice—he decided to do some research on who this “Alaska Winters” was and how she was connected to his employer. It wasn’t like he needed to know in order to complete the job, but the prospect of a gangster—and a high-ranked Huntsman at that—hiring him had definitely peaked the assassin’s curiosity. After some digging, he soon discovered that Alaska and his employer were once quite the duo.

The assassin leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together as he stared at the light of his holographic screen. The picture he’d managed to find of Alaska Winters wasn’t the best quality to start with—it had come from an older security camera, after all—but by the time he’d been done with it, the image was clear as day. It showed that Alaska was a pale-skinned woman probably in her early twenties, young for an infamous gangster such as herself, with ebony black hair pulled into a high tail, elegantly slanted eyes, and a striking shade of red lipstick that matched her nails. Despite her obviously beautiful appearance, Alaska Winters bore a stony-faced scowl and was pointing a gun at the camera. This was without a doubt the last shot that the security cam ever managed to catch.

 _Partners, huh?_ The wheels inside the assassin’s head began to crank as an idea came to mind. His gaze flicked briefly to the electronic pay card that Reina had given him. She had been so confident and desperate that she had given it to him in advance. _Just how far were you willing to go for Miss Winters’ life?_ the assassin pondered. He picked the slim card up with his elegant fingers and fed it into the scanner that sat by his keyboard, tapping a command into the software to determine just how much money she’d put on it. The scanner whirred and clicked for a second before the amount popped up onto the screen and his eyebrows raised slightly. _Apparently pretty far…_

The assassin pushed his chair away from his desk and rolled over to his cell phone. He unlocked the device and typed in a number, pausing momentarily before he pressed the call button. Staring at the large digit displayed over his desk, he lifted the phone to his ear as it began to ring.

The voice that answered on the other end was deep and distorted. “Who is this?”

“Just a friend keen on making a deal that I believe you and your organization will be _very_ interested in hearing.”

There was a pause and the assassin spun his chair in a circle and pulled his switchblade from his pocket. “What kind of deal?” the voice asked.

“Let’s just say that I have some information that could bring the Huntsmen to their knees.” He flicked out the blade and watched the hologram’s blue glow dance along the sharp edges. “For the right price, of course…”


	2. There Are Looks That Can Kill, and Those That Can Spare You

Just to give you some insight into our assassin’s twisted new set of plans, the next set of events went something like this: assassin meets with City Queen leaders, assassin tells about inner turmoil inside Huntsmen, assassin is paid handsomely, City Queens plan an attack that will literally destroy the Huntsmen from the inside-out, and assassin goes off to find Alaska Winters. Like I already told you, assassins are generally untrustworthy folks. Well, this situation is the poster child of my point. This whole ordeal started off as jealousy and was now headed towards the death of an entire organization. And to make things even more interesting, the assassin was still going to find Alaska Winters. Does he still plan to take her out as he was hired to do so? Or does he have some sort of ulterior motive that fits with his own agenda? Tune in next week to find out the answer to these and even more pressing questions in this thrilling series! 

Anyway, fast-forward to the next episode and we find ourselves following the infamous Alaska Winters, walking alone one foggy night and shrouded in a long black coat. Despite her years of training and experience that had made her keen in knowing what was occurring around her, Alaska was totally unaware of the events that were about to happen, and also of the man silently trailing her. It is always on nights such as this that we find the protagonist’s awareness to be dulled, thoughts drifting off into strange ideas that are—oddly—what’s actually going on. What I mean by this is that Alaska was beginning to have suspicions about the stability of the Huntsmen chain of command. She hadn’t been blind to Reina’s distancing of herself and the way she always was trying to subtly prove herself as the more superior of the two of them. Alaska wasn’t quite sure why, but she had the feeling that Reina would end up doing something drastically stupid, as she usually did when things didn’t go her way. For instance, Reina had once flooded someone’s bedroom with water because he’d accidentally used her toothbrush. Don’t ask me how she did it, I just know it happened.

Alaska’s mind was flooded—much like the fore-mentioned bedroom—with many thoughts along this theme of retaliation, and the more she thought about it, the more she was certain that Reina was on the verge of something rash. That is…if she hadn’t started something already. As Alaska walked past a dark alleyway, one of the shadows within its depths split from the main mass and slipped to her side.

“Good evening, Miss Winters,” the shadow greeted with a smooth voice.

Alaska was silent, not allowing this strange new man to know that she had totally been caught off guard. Had she really been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she had become blind to the potential dangers of the streets around her?

“Lost in thought, are we?” the shadow man asked.

Alaska peered at him out of the corner of her eye, but all she could see was a thin frame cloaked in darkness. “What do you want?”

“How about we step aside and talk about this?” his voice had the tone of someone genial and welcoming, but Alaska didn’t trust him.

“I’d prefer to keep walking, thank you very much. You never know what kinds of creatures are bound to lurk about at this time of night.”

His laugh was just as smooth as his words, if not more so. “Oh Miss Winters, I’m sure I would be no trouble at all against your skill.”

“You sound confident.” She turned her head to look at him and found him turned to her as well. She couldn’t make out all of his face because of his deep hood, but she could see the thin lips quirked in a smile and the majority of a hawk-like nose. She wondered what sort of eyes watched her within the confines of that small abyss and she faced forward with a small sigh. “Well? Are you going to tell me what you want, or not?”

The shadow man stepped in closer and put his lips close to her ear. “I’ve come to warn you, Miss Winters.”

They were silent as they walked past a couple homeless men conversing outside a shop window, but then Alaska replied once they passed with the words, “Warn me?”

“You see, Miss Winters, I was hired to kill you.”

Alaska considered reaching for her weapon, but then decided against it. “Oh? And what was your plan, exactly? To talk me to death?”

“No. If I wanted you dead, then you already would be. I was actually hired by one of your colleagues…”

Without thinking, Alaska spat out the first name that came to mind, “ _Reina_ …”

“Oh, so you know about her little grudge against you? Well this certainly keeps getting more and more interesting…”

“Interesting? Is there something about this situation that defines as ‘interesting’ to you?”

“Why yes. You see, the thing I came to warn you about wasn’t about something of your partner’s doing, but something of my own. It’s actually pretty funny when you think about it—”

Faster than he could blink, Alaska Winters grabbed the assassin by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the wall with one arm while her other hand pressed a gun underneath his chin. Pedestrians hurried past with eyes wide and heads down, knowing better than to stand around and make a spectacle. His hood had fallen back in the rush of Alaska’s actions and she was now able to see him in his entirety. His hair was dark and disheveled, covering his ears and falling into his eyes, which were rimmed with the dark circles of sleeplessness. The assassin had his hands held up in submission and was chuckling quietly.

“Well done, Miss Winters,” he praised. “You truly are the ruthless gangster the reporters say you are.”

“I don’t have time for your little games,” she growled. “Now tell me what you’ve done.”

“I did what any resourceful man would do. I turned what I was given into something I could use.”

“Meaning?”

He shrugged. “I told the City Queens that there was some turmoil between the Huntsmen leaders and they decided to act on it. In fact, they’re probably there by now, if they haven’t killed everyone already, that is.”

Alaska gritted her teeth and pressed the barrel of her gun harder into the assassin’s skin. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t spill you all over the sidewalk…”

“Um, maybe because I spared your life not once, but twice?”

“Explain.”

The assassin sighed in an over-exaggerated show of annoyance and rolled his eyes, “Man, I didn’t think I’d have to explain _this much_ to someone of your caliber.” He locked eyes with her, “I was hired to kill you, right? Well, you sure don’t _look_ dead to me. So that’s life-saving instance number one. The second time is right now. You were on your way back to your little _fun-time-gang-hangout-place_ —which has been marked for annihilation—and I’m warning you not to go. Isn’t it obvious Miss Winters? I’m on your side, here.” He flashed her a charming smile and spread his arms wide. “But if you still insist on ending my life, go ahead. Just know that you won’t be too far behind me.”

“So sparing my life makes it okay to end countless others?”

“What? Does that…bother you? But haven’t you done the _same thing_? I’ve done my research, Miss Winters, and the numbers of your gang is nowhere near the souls you’ve taken to the afterlife.”

Alaska’s red-painted fingers gripped her gun tighter and she ground her teeth.

“Besides,” the assassin continued, “are they really the type of people to get upset over? I mean, first off, you Huntsmen are just bad people in general and, second off, your ex-partner hired an assassin to kill you. I mean, c’mon. Don’t tell me that you actually _cared_ about any of those sorry bastards.”

Alaska swallowed hard. “It’s not that I _cared_ , it’s that a certain _someone_ ,” she shoved her gun hard into him one more time before lowering it to her side, “decided to mess with the wrong girl.”

The assassin laughed and rubbed at the mark left by Alaska’s gun. “That’s more like it…. Now that you’ve decided not to paint the sidewalk with my brain, I sincerely hope that you’ll at least let me give you this.” He reached into his pocket and fished out a folded slip of paper which he then handed to Alaska.

She took it suspiciously and asked him, “What’s this?”

“The address of a…friend of mine. I suggest that you head there as soon as possible and stay hidden for a while. Things are going to be a little crazy now that the Huntsmen are basically extinct. And besides,” the assassin reached out and cupped the back of Alaska’s head and pulled her close, almost like a lover pulling one in for a kiss, and placed his lips next to her ear, “something tells me that Reina Wyatt is far too resourceful to die easily. I’d keep an eye out for her if I were you.”

Then, just like that, the assassin released her and pulled back slightly so he could peer at her. Alaska watched as his eyes took in her facial features and then he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, making a disturbed shiver run up her spine. “Lips red as the roses. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow,” he whispered with a small, quirked smile. “Yes, I’m glad that I spared this one…” He stepped back and raised his hood once more, leaving Alaska speechless and puzzled. “See you around, princess.”

He turned and began to slip away, but Alaska suddenly lurched forward and gripped his arm. “Why?” she asked. “Why didn’t you just kill me? Why make such a huge mess out of one little job?”

“’Why?’ you ask? Why,” he turned his head and flashed her another smirk, “I thought you were pretty, of course.”


	3. What to Do When a Stranger Falls Asleep on Your Porch

During the time it took Alaska to get to the address written on the slip of paper, she could hear the sounds of sirens off in the distance. She knew the city well enough to know that they were coming from the direction of the Huntsmen base, but, just as the assassin had predicted, she found herself to be void of any sentiments of sadness or remorse. With the way tensions had been between the two gangs, Alaska had figured that something like this was bound to happen eventually.

I don’t believe I’ve mentioned this, but the main cause for animosity between the Huntsmen and City Queens was strictly a matter of business. Both groups were highly involved in the distribution of selling illegal goods such as opiates, weapons, and substances derived from poaching—both animals and humans, I might add. Since there happened to be such a highly competitive black market for these things, each group was determined to monopolize it and be the sole collector of the high profits. It’s a high-risk job, being a gangster, but it comes with great benefits if you manage to stay alive and not get caught—which was possible if you payed off the right people.

Alaska wasn’t even all that disappointed in losing her career because of two decisions made by two people. Maybe she would even join the City Queens once everything blew over and was sorted out, especially since gang life was the only thing she had ever known. She looked out the window of the taxi she was seated in, the neon lights and holograms that displayed the names of various clubs and stores making the damp asphalt shimmer in a rainbow of colors. The self-driven vehicle was taking her away from the bustling center of the city and into the outer reaches. Or, to be more specific, it was taking her towards the University District.

 _Is that dumb assassin telling me that I need an education? Please, I’ve learned all the things that I’ll ever need to know and more_ , she thought sourly.

Right as the illuminated University was coming into view, the taxi took a turn onto a side street, then another, and another. It was taking her to the boarding area? What, was he sending her to a sorority or something?

Not exactly, but very close. The place the taxi was taking her was a small house that sat right on the invisible border between boarding houses and civilian houses. The house was owned by seven close friends that all went to the nearby university—well, all except Ty, he’s just a free-loader that needs a place to stay. The names of these seven friends are as follows: Shea, the unorganized art student; Reese, the mathematician and honorary “mom friend” of the house; Jackie, English major as well as Reese’s complementary “dad friend”; Shortie, the rare gem studying the art of comedy that stood at a whooping five-foot nothing; Ty, the free-loader that I mentioned earlier that makes all the food because it’s basically his best asset; Seven, your generic geek and engineering student with large glasses; and lastly, Doc, who was the only one with a Ph.D. (in human sciences, by the way) and aka me, your narrator.

As Alaska stood on the porch of our house, she scrutinized the paintings that bordered the bottom trim of the wall and checked to make sure that this was indeed the correct place. Would a guy like that assassin really send to her a house that had paintings of flowers on it? And…were those math equations hidden beneath the painted blue blossoms? She considered turning around and heading back into the city, but the assassin’s words floated up into her mind. “ _Stay hidden for a while_ …. _Something tells me that Reina is far too resourceful to die easily. I’d keep an eye out for her if I were you._ ” There was something about his warning that she couldn’t ignore, something in his tone or maybe the words themselves that she strangely believed and trusted. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea to stay…at least for a little time, anyway.

My first encounter with Alaska Winters was not what one would expect for a gangster of her caliber and a young Ph.D. holder such as myself. I had gotten up early as I usually did, regardless of whether I had classes or not, and was headed out the front door so I could drink my coffee on the porch steps like normal. The part where things deviated from my mundane routine happened as soon as I opened the door.

I pulled the door open and in tumbled a human flat on her back with a gun that she quickly pointed at me. I gave a little jolt of surprise and my eyes widened as I stared down at the dark-haired women in the middle of my doorway. Based on the way she’d fallen inside, it appeared that she had been sleeping with her back propped up against the door and then she’d come inside when I’d pulled it open. “Um…can I help you?” I asked with a confused laugh.

The woman squinted her slanted eyes at me at held out a slip of paper with her other hand. To me, she looked like she was at least in her late twenties or maybe early thirties. “Are you the owner of this address?”

I blinked and took the paper from her. Sure enough, the address was mine and, upon further inspection, I recognized the blocky handwriting on it. I chuckled to myself and held up the paper, “Did Giin give this to you?”

She scowled at me and I saw her finger tense on the trigger. “Who?”

“Giin. You know, skinny guy with rumpled hair,” I messed up my red hair to demonstrate and it fell into my eyes. “Hawkish nose and thin lips, but not exactly ugly, and he thinks he’s the shit. Kind of a psycho insomniac?”

She eased off the trigger, “The assassin?”

“Yeah, that guy.”

The woman quickly and fluidly got to her feet and placed her gun into a holster sitting along her ribcage. Without even waiting for another word from me, she stepped past me and into the house. I blinked in confusion and peered down at my coffee in disappointment. “Oh yeah, come right on it, strange lady.” I closed the door and turned to look at the woman, who was busy scanning the place like it was a crime scene. Why did Giin always have to send the weird ones to me? _I know I’m you’re sister,_ I thought bitterly as I walked over to her, _but do you_ really _have to do this to me?_

“So,” I tapped my bare foot on the ash-wood flooring, which now had the boot prints of Giin’s newest pity case all over it, “what was his reason this time?”

She glanced back at me before continuing towards the kitchen, “What do you mean?”

“The reason that you’re still alive.”

“Oh, that. He said I was pretty.”

I sighed and followed the stranger as she continued to exhibit free-reign over the house. _Yep, this has Giin’s dumb little hands all over it…_ “Of course. Hey. Hey! Could you please stop rummaging through the cupboards? It’s really annoying and Ty doesn’t like it when people mess with his territory. Just who are you anyway?”

The woman shut the cabinet with a bang and spun around with a scowl. “Ty? Who’s Ty? Aren’t you the only one who lives here?”

I laughed, “Me? Living alone? Far from it, I’m afraid.”

She peered down her nose at me, almost like she thought me inferior to her and I felt my blood begin to boil. “How many live here?”

“Seven if you count me.” I leaned up against the kitchen door frame and gave her a smirk. “Why? Didn’t Giin tell you _anything_?”

The woman stepped right up to me until our bodies were nearly touching and I could see the traces of red lipstick on her mouth. “I don’t appreciate your attitude.” She pulled back her coat to reveal her gun and placed a hand on her hip so that it stayed in full view.

“And I don’t appreciate you acting like you’re the queen of the universe. Just who do you think you are, Miss ‘I’m So Special’?”

We locked eyes, each of us thinking of the best way to kill the other, but the kitchen was spared from becoming a homicide site by the sound of Jackie’s annoyed voice. “ _Seriously_?” he groaned from the other entrance to the kitchen. “The _one morning_ I decide to get up early during spring break and there’s _another_ one in the house?”

I could see him out of the corner of my eye and I smiled, my focus refusing to leave the woman’s eyes. “Good morning, Jackie. How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good based on the way he was snoring last night…” Reese retorted as she walked around Jackie and over to the coffee machine. “You guys don’t even know the torture of what it’s like to share a room with this guy.”

Jackie threw up his hands. “Then go bunk with Doc and Shortie!” The two of them were pretty calm despite the stranger that stood in their kitchen.

“But I can’t _stand_ bunking with girls,” she said as she dumped milk and sugar into her mug. “No offense, Doc,” she said to me.

“None taken,” I assured her. I gave the woman one last squint of my eyelids before I stepped around her with a sip of my coffee. I swallowed with a sour expression, “Damn, it’s all cold now.” I glared at it for a moment before handing it to Jackie. He took it with a startled blink. “Here. You like your coffee iced, right?”


	4. More Like Seven Idiots

****After that _painful_ first impression of Alaska Winters, I went upstairs and woke the other four members of the house. I started with Shortie, who was easier than normal to get up, and I managed to only have _one_ pillow thrown at me before she reluctantly got up. The two of us then went over to the room that Ty, Shea, and Seven shared. We started with Seven, who sleepily rubbed his hands and checked his “stylish” and extremely outdated analogue watch before putting on his glasses and sitting up. Then, I turned to the real task of getting Shea and Ty awake and out of bed.

I scratched my head and assessed the situation, Seven pushing his glasses up his nose before leaning on my shoulder. “Yep,” Shortie patted me on the back and began to move towards the bedroom door. “Good luck on this one, Doc.”

“Ohhhh no you don’t.” I reached out and grabbed her by the hood of her sweater and dragged her back, gagging.

“But they look so _cute_ ,” Shortie protested. “And what if Ty refuses to make us food like last time? I can’t live like that! Fast food just hasn’t been the same since I’ve had Ty’s cooking and I want to keep it that way.” She clutched her hands over her heart and blinked up at me endearingly.

“I can’t even tell where one ends and the other begins,” Seven remarked with a tilt of his fluffy blonde head.

I blew out a puff of air through my lips and stepped forward, ripping the covers off the two sleeping boys and to the ground. “Okay, guys. Get up.”

Shea groaned and flipped over so he was facing away from us and Ty buried his face into Shea’s shirt as if trying to hide. “Oh yes,” Shortie said sarcastically, “you got ‘em now.” I shot her a look and then grabbed onto Ty’s bare torso, since he was the closer of the two, and began to pull. Instantly, Ty wrapped his arms around Shea and I fell back onto my butt.

I stood up with a huff and grabbed one of Ty’s ankles while Seven grabbed the other and together we yanked. To be honest, it didn’t even really work until Shortie tentatively got in and starting prying at Ty’s hold on Shea, who had his head poked up as he tried to figure out what was happening. Once Shea finally seemed to register the situation, he sat up and helped Shortie pull the other boy off of him, which sent Ty crashing down to the floor.

Ty whined and flailed around on the ground, wearing nothing but his boxers, and glared at Shea while jabbing an accusatory finger at him. “What the heck, man?! You can’t just abandon me like that!”

Shea flopped back down onto the bed and blinked sleepily. “But I just did,” he mumbled in the confused tone a tired person has.

Ty frowned and threw a pillow at Shea, who didn’t even bother to block it as it hit him in the face. “I didn’t think that this would be the end of our relationship, but apparently I was wrong,” Ty said in indignation.

Shea sat up, rubbing his face with sweater-covered hands before tossing Ty a t-shirt and sweatpants. He then stood and nudged Ty with his foot. “Get dressed, hon,” he yawned.

Ty let out a groan but did as he was told, and soon the five of us were walking together into the kitchen, where Jackie and Reese were having a staring contest with the woman. She hadn’t moved from the spot I’d last left her in and her gaze shot daggers at me as we filed in. Shortie crossed her arms and stood next to Ty, who had a still-sleepy Shea leaning on his shoulder. “So is this the ‘important thing’ you talked about when you woke me up?” Shortie asked as she eyed the woman suspiciously.

“Yeah,” I said, scratching my head.

“Giin sent her,” Jackie told the others.

“Although I have no idea why,” I added almost to myself. I took a step towards the woman and she gave me another one of those infuriating scowls down the tip of her nose. “Listen,” I folded my hands and rested my chin on the singular fist, “could you please tell us why you’re here? We’re all… _unfortunately_ familiar with my brother sending us strange people but—”

“You have got to be the strangest yet,” Reese butted in. I heard the sound of someone slapping her in the arm—probably Jackie—and I continued.

“But we have no idea who you are and why you’re here and we really need to know. I mean, you can’t just to barge in here uninvited after sleeping on our doorstep and expect us to let you stay without question.” We all watched her in anticipation, waiting for her to give us the answers we needed. The woman looked annoyed beyond belief and was looking at us like we were the greatest burdens in her existence. And maybe we were, but it still ground our gears.

Suddenly, there was a small gasp, and we all turned to look at Seven, who had “EUREKA!” practically written all over his face in bold lettering. “I know you! You’re that one gangster from the inner city! You’re Alaska Winters of the Huntsmen! I’ve seen you on the news!”

“Alaska Winters?” I scoffed, but I was also genuinely surprised. “My _brother_ let a brute like you live simply because you were pretty?”

“Was that really his reason?” Shortie asked with a smile in her voice.

“Yes,” Alaska answered for me. “Trust me, I don’t really get it either. Plus, I’m only an _ex_ -member now, thanks to your brother.”

“What happened?” Shea spoke up, sounding much more awake.

Alaska sighed. “It’s a long and complicated story but, basically, this Giin fellow was hired to kill me by one of my colleagues and he ended up telling the City Queens and letting me live. As far as I know, the Queens have already taken out my entire group and I’m the last one living. Your brother told me to come to this address with no explanation other than it belonged to someone he knew and that I should stay here until everything within the gangs was sorted out. Oh, and he also said that he didn’t think my traitorous colleague would be the type to die easily, so I’m pretty much in hiding right now.” She gave us a deadly, straight-toothed smile. “Anything else?”

There was a pause and then I felt a hand around my wrist. “Um,” it was Reese, “could you maybe excuse us for a second?” She then began to drag me out of the kitchen, motioning for the others to follow her.

Shortie was the last out and paused in the doorway, holding her hands out at Alaska like she was a wild animal. “Just don’t…touch anything.” There was the sound of someone calling her name and she quickly added, “Or…go anywhere, for that matter.”

Alaska smirked and snapped her teeth together, making Shortie jump and go racing out of the kitchen. The sounds of her laughter followed Shortie as she raced upstairs and into the room where the rest of them were gathered. Shortie pressed herself up against the wall as soon as she rushed through the doorway, looking like a miniature ninja as she peeked down the hallway.

Seven raised his eyes at her and scoffed, “You okay there, Short Stuff?”

“Shh!” Shortie silenced him with a harsh whisper. “I don’t trust that Alaska Winters character. Even her name sounds funny. Like, who the hell names their kid ‘Alaska Winters,’ anyway?”

“I think it suits her cold personality,” Ty said.

“You guys _do_ realize that it’s probably just a pseudonym, right?” Jackie had a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Okay.” Shea rubbed a hand down his face. “I know you’re an English major, but could you _please_ use dumb-people words? I’m just an art student, for crying out loud.”

“It’s a fake name,” I explained.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Reese crossed her arms and looked around at us, her index finger tapping out a rhythm on her bicep. “What are we going to do with her? I, for one, do not like her one bit and I think we should have Giin take care of her like he should have in the first place.” She shot me a look, almost like it was my fault for my brother’s decision.

I held up my hands in surrender. “Hey, I don’t like her either. Do you think I enjoy having a gun pointed at me first thing in the morning? I agree with Reese on this one.”

“But we can’t just throw her out, right?” Seven twisted his ring around his finger and stared glassy-eyed at the floor as he assessed our predicament. “We’ve never really thrown anyone out before and it seems wrong to start now. What if she gets killed by one of the people looking for her?”

“Then that’s one less gangster in the world,” Jackie said.

“I just want you guys to know that I don’t really have an opinion on the situation,” Ty said with pursed lips. Despite his words, I could tell that Ty didn’t really like Alaska Winters either and I saw Shea intertwine their fingers together.

“Maybe we could like…” Shortie bit her lip in thought. “Keep her in a cage and feed her table scraps or something…”

“Tempting…but no thanks.”

We all jumped at the voice and noticed in surprise that Alaska Winters stood right outside our door with a genuinely amused expression. I think seeing her look at us in a non-threatening way was more startling than her sudden appearance, to be honest.

“But…” Shortie blinked and color rushed into her cheeks. “I never saw you coming…”

“That’s because your surveillance skills suck,” Alaska said, stepping into the room and patting Shortie on the head. “Look,” she placed her hands elegantly on her hips and sighed in resignation. “I don’t expect you to like me, and I don’t expect to find some sort of ‘forever home’ or whatever. But I do ask that you help me out. I might not look it, but I’m actually about your age. Gang life has a funny way of making you look and feel much older than you actually are. I lost the only place I have left to go to and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find somewhere else or not. So,” she pressed her lips together and looked at each of us in turn. “What do you say?”


	5. Last Impressions Are Sometimes Better Than Firsts

I can’t say that any of us necessarily trusted her any more than we already didn’t, but for some reason we decided to help her. Of course, it was within my full intent to give my idiot brother a talking to, but that was for a later time. For now, I had been unanimously given the responsibility of figuring out what to do with our new house member. The way the others saw it, since Giin was to blame for Alaska’s appearance, it was up to me to deal with the aftereffects. I wasn’t happy about it, but I didn’t bother fighting it since everyone—including Seven, who apparently was resigning his position as my best friend—had decided that it was my new job.

For several days, Alaska Winters slept on our living room couch and wore my clothes, and every morning when I went to drink my coffee on the porch I would seethe at the sight of her. I understood that she didn’t have anything or anywhere to go, but that didn’t stop me from being salty about it. While everyone else was becoming accustomed to Alaska’s presence, I was the only one that still didn’t like her. For the first time, I got a glimpse of what it was like to be a cynical old woman; it was a sad reality to experience in my glorious youth.

As much as you’d probably love to hear all of my wonderful stories about this tortuous time in my life, it is simply too painful to recount. There were far too many times that I’d catch Alaska cleaning or handling one of her various weapon—she strangely had a lot on her and I have absolutely no idea where she kept them all—and I’d notice her smirking at me. _Gaah_ it gives me the chills just thinking about it.

However there is one story from her time with us that I will tell you, and it also happens to be the last time I ever saw her. It was getting late and all eight of us were sat in front of the television. I don’t really remember what the show was about because in between my animosity at Alaska, and Ty and Shea playing with each other’s fingers in that annoying PDA way on the couch beside me—like, I get it, you’re cute but _do you mind_?!—I didn’t have much mental capacity to pay attention to TV. I didn’t even have anyone to talk to because, first off, Seven wasn’t even watching the program and was just scrolling through his phone, Reese and Jackie were too busy debating the worth of a particular character, and Shortie was having a competition with Alaska to see who could throw the most popcorn into their own mouth. Needless to say, I was feeling kind of pissed.

The first ones to leave were Shea and Ty, claiming that they were tired and were going to bed, but I think we all knew they would be doing anything but sleeping. The next one was Seven, who told us that he was going to sleep in my bed because he wanted to maintain his innocence. Next was Jackie, and then Reese, and then Shortie, and soon I was alone with Alaska.

Alaska turned off the television and continued to stay seated on the floor, picking at her red nail polish and not saying a word. I was quiet as well for several minutes, rain tapping against the windows as we refused to speak. Finally, I sighed and grabbed a small throw blanket off the floor and flopped onto my back. “I’m going to sleep,” I announced and switched off the light, plunging the room into darkness.

I exhaled and drifted off into a light sleep, my dreams filled with red lipstick, flying popcorn, and a woman on the floor that held me at point blank with a water gun—I know, I don’t get it either. I was jolted out of my restless sleep by the sound of thunder clapping, and the room lit up with a flash of lightning. I peered around sleepily, and saw Alaska sat up on the floor beside the couch, a blanket covering her legs and a knife in her hand. “Alaska,” I hissed, “put that damn thing away, will you? It’s just a storm.” I burrowed my face into my pillow and threw a hand over my head.

“I hear something,” Alaska murmured.

“It’s just the wind,” I told her. “Go back to sleep.”

There was silence for several minutes, and just when I beginning to drift off again, another loud rumble of thunder shook the house and I was suddenly ripped from the couch and pulled into someone’s chest. I let out a cry, barely audible beneath the roar of the storm, and I felt a sharp object pressed up against my throat. At first, I thought it was Alaska finally showing her true colors, but then I saw her standing in middle of the room with a gun pointed straight at me.

“Make another sound,” a female voice growled in my ear, “and your floor gets a new paint job.” I swallowed and I felt my pulse pounding against the knife held to my jugular. Then, the woman spoke to Alaska. “Alaska, darling,” she cooed. “Long time no see, huh?”

“Indeed,” Alaska said. “Last time I heard your name, Reina Wyatt, it was off the tongue of the assassin you hired to kill me. Too bad I cut it out soon afterwards.”

My eyes widened in surprise and I looked at Alaska Winters in awe. I knew she had done no such thing, I’d seen Giin only the day before when he popped in for a sudden visit. So…that meant…she was protecting him? Why would she do that?

“Oh well,” I felt Reina shrug. “You can’t win them all, I suppose.”

“Apparently not,” Alaska replied, her face illuminated by the lightning. “You’re here, after all. Tell me, what was it like to be there when the Queens attacked? You look a little _fried_ , I must say…”

Reina tightened. “Oh, so you knew about that? It was a shame that you couldn’t be there, Alaska. The heat of that inferno would’ve been more than enough to melt even your resolve.” She chuckled and pressed her lips right next to my ear, making me shiver. “I’m all that’s left of the mighty Huntsmen, especially since that bitch over there abandoned us. Funny, she used to be the boss’s favorite. I can still hear him screaming her name as he burned.”

Alaska’s face screwed up in fury and she took a step forward.

“Ah ah ah,” Reina chided. “Don’t think that I won’t spill your pretty little friend’s blood.”

Alaska scoffed. “You think I care about her? Go right ahead.”

My eyes widened in shock at her words, then I opened my mouth in a gasp as the sting of steel slipped along my throat and the bang of a gun went off as I fell to my knees in slow motion. My chest was covered in the warmth of my own blood by the time I had fully collapsed. My head struck the hardwood floor and a strange thought floated through my head as I watched Alaska Winters leap over the couch and rush at my attacker. _With all this blood, it’s going to look like there’s a sudden splotch of mahogany amongst the ash flooring. I hate mahogany…_

I could faintly hear the sound of the doorknob clicking and I was chilled by the rain that blew through the open doorway. I wanted to sit up and find out what was happening, but all I could do was feebly clutch at my throat with slick fingers as I tried to keep my life from slipping away. In the distance, the wail of sirens cried out into the stormy night and I felt myself spiraling into the underworld.


	6. The Parting Words of an Infamous Gangster

The doctors said it was a miracle that I survived. By the time that Shea and Ty had come downstairs to see what all the noise was about, I had lost nearly two liters of blood from the incision in my neck. If Ty hadn’t managed to press the blanket I’d been sleeping with into the wound, and Shea hadn’t managed to keep calm as he called the emergency hotline, I probably wouldn’t have lived. I was taken by hover-ambulance to the University Hospital and was immediately admitted to the operating room. Even a little over a week later, I was still in the hospital, although finally out of ICU. My housemates visited me as often as hospital policy allowed, and there were many times when one or two of them would spend the night. Seven told Giin about what had happened, so he eventually came to visit me as well.

When my brother walked into my room, he was wearing civilian’s clothes, but I knew that he had somehow sneaked a weapon in with him. Assassins really are strange folks when you get down to it. He flashed me a peace sign and a slanted smirk before sitting on the edge of my bed. “Hey, Doc-y Doc,” he greeted as he always did.

“Hey, asshole,” I replied in the customary fashion and we clasped hands. Normally, this would’ve been followed by some sort of hug and/or slap on the back, but we both knew that it wasn’t the best idea with my condition. We released our grip on the other and Giin flopped back so he was splayed over my hips like a seatbelt. Even in the hospital, we couldn’t help but act like the buddies we were. I twirled a piece of his dark hair around my finger, so different from my fiery red, and let out an annoyed sigh. “Thanks a lot,” I said in a tone oozing with sarcasm.

“Hey,” he folded his hands on top of his stomach. “I didn’t think that you would get caught up in the crossfire. Also, you’re still alive and well, so there’s no harm done.”

“I almost _died_ , bucko.” I tugged on the piece of hair and he winced. “And now there’s a huge red spot on my floor as well as a hospital bill. You’re paying for the renovations, hospital, and anything else that happened because of this.”

Giin waved a hand lazily, “Okay, okay. I got more than enough money to pay for twenty hospital stays from this ordeal alone, so it makes no difference to me.”

“Good. It’s all because of your weakness for pretty women that all this happened in the first place.” I paused and bit my lip. “Speaking of which, do you have any idea what happened to Alaska?”

“Miss Winters? Oh yes, I actually have something for you from her.” He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and fished out an envelope, which he handed to me.

I took it and looked it over. “Giin,” I gave my brother a scowl and waved the letter in his face. “It’s already opened, stupid.”

A shrug. “Habit. I figured I’d check it to make sure it didn’t have any poisonous powder or maybe a juicy love letter inside.”

I smacked him. “Screw you. It’s a shame there wasn’t any powder inside that killed you.” Giin shrugged and I pulled out the piece of paper within the envelope and unfolded it, one side covered in scratchy handwriting.

_Dear Doc,_

_I’m sorry that I ran away without first making sure that you were okay. Between the police coming and fighting off Reina, I didn’t have much of a choice. I did end up killing her though, if it is any interest to you. Your brother has told me that you are doing well, for which I am relieved. I should probably explain why things happened the way they did that night: since I know Reina well—we were partners, once—I knew that when she cut your throat, she would end up moving to the side during the motion and expose herself. It was the only way I could think of to spare both our lives in that particular situation. I hope you understand, but if you resent me, I don’t mind. In fact, I’d be surprised if you were grateful to me, considering that we didn’t really like each other._

_Despite our rocky start, I would like to try getting to know you all better. I always thought that the Huntsmen was a solid place where I belonged, but what you seven have is completely different. You guys would never hire someone to kill your friend because you were jealous of what they have and it made me think. When you guys are all situated, I’d appreciate if you would pay me a visit. Giin is the only one who currently knows where I am, since I’m still in hiding for a while because of the City Queens, so he can take you to where I am._

_Maybe I should give up gangster life…but it’s also the only thing I’ve ever known. As awful as it sounds, I enjoy the work I do. Well, used to do. I don’t know, maybe I’ll have your brother teach me how to be an assassin. Maybe I’ll end up joining the City Queens. Hell, maybe I’ll start a bakery, even though I can’t cook to save my life. With my skills, I could probably join some high-ranked police sort of thing or even the government’s spies, but I don’t like the idea of switching to the other side of the law. Maybe I’ll just become a free-loader like Ty. Who knows, it’s something that I’ll need to figure out._

_Anyway, that’s about all I have to say. Sorry that my letter-writing skills are poor._

_~Sincerely~_

_Alaska Winters aka Rin Sakuya_

_(That’s my real name, by the way. Jackie was right when he said Alaska was just a pseudonym.)_

_P.S. — I think I’ll hold onto your shirt for a while. I rather like it…_


End file.
